The Birth of Tarlac Outdoor Club

‘There is no illusion greater than fear.’

Conquering our fears

I am an introvert. Although I am proud of it, I realized that there are disadvantages with being one. I missed a lot of great opportunities because of my choice of self seclusion. One of them is enjoying the beauty of nature and engaging in outdoor activities. Back then, I was afraid of heights, so climbing mountains never occurred to me. I am also uncomfortable when in front of people, let alone speaking in front of them, but I ended up taking a masters degree which requires you to do reports and presentations in front of the class. I was not active in sports or any physical activities during elementary, high school and college days. Then as I grew older and my life journey went on, I realized that I have to eventually overcome my fears and insecurities. Unexpectedly, I began to acknowledge my fears and confront them, until finally I was able to conquer them. Well, almost.

For some, it takes courage to face and conquer their fears, but for me, it took wisdom to ultimately get over the things I feared the most. Life is too short to just spend it sitting in one corner, cowering to our insecurities and self doubt. To truly enjoy life we must get out of our comfort zone and explore and experience the world. Facing my fears also meant facing my own flaws and demons, as well as criticism from other people. But I was getting older and I came to realize that if I succumbed to all these negativity, I would never truly enjoy life. I would never be able to say one day that I lived my life to the fullest.

Someone said, ‘Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear.’ This is true. I am now at a point in my life where I’m being more adventurous in trying new things, things that can particularly make me grow personally, professionally and spiritually. As I grew old, I began to gain wisdom and was able to realize that there are things that are scarier than ghosts, our mistakes and failures. Honestly, death is the one thing that scared me now. That is why I enjoy every moment I have. We never know how long our life would be, so why not savor every second of it.

'Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. ‘

Tarlac Outdoor Club

My interest to the outdoors was unexpected and seems impossible to those you know me. It just happens and I was grateful for it because it led me to know myself better. It made me more confident about my own capabilities and realized how far I could go. There are hardships along the way but I learn from them and it made me invincible. Adversities are always present but that’s how life is. It’s not a question of how strong you are but how determine you are. If you are keen on pursuing something you will do everything to make it happen no matter what it takes.

It feels good to be with nature. I enjoy visiting new places and meeting new people. I made a lot of friends during my various hikes. Although traveling and climbing mountains is exhausting, time consuming and financially draining, these reasons led me to the idea of putting up a club. My friends and colleagues were enthusiastic with the idea so it motivated me further. The idea went on for a while but because of work and other duties it did not materialize instantly. I have another hiking group based in Manila and I often join them, but I find it hard going there whenever we have a scheduled climb. It was always a struggle travelling in the early morning. It takes time and money as well. So, in my desire to lessen these burdens I decided to go ahead and create a club based here in Tarlac.

Tarlac Outdoor Club (TOC) was born after our hike in Mount Ulap in December 2016. It is basically to cater to those adventurous individuals living within Tarlac province or places nearby. There are mountaineering groups in Tarlac but I want our group to be distinct from them. We are not hardcore mountaineers. Hiking or climbing mountains is not only our passion. Yes, we enjoy going out and being with nature but there are other relevant and interesting things to do. There are plans to incorporate outreach activities in the club’s line up of activities. We also rally for some advocacies including environment protection. We are against mass climbs because of its obvious effect on nature, particularly the mountains.

The truth is that there are still a lot of things to be done. I thought it would be easy, but it’s not and I am not giving up. Putting up a club is hard but organizing an event is another thing to be reckoned with. Organizing an event with your own group has its advantages. You can determine how many participants there will be, how much money you have to shell out, and the itinerary. Basically, you are in control of every detail, but there are also disadvantages. You plan everything and that is time consuming and nerve wracking considering I have a day job to begin with. Despite all of this, I am optimistic that this endeavor will be fruitful in the end.

'The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.’

A new era

Now, as my journey is coming to a new era I decided to further explore more of what is out there and share it with other people. May the birth of Tarlac Outdoor Club be a reason to be more determined and productive. Although its inception was unexpected, it is memorable as it is special to me. I hope that its existence will not be short lived but that it will evolve and later grow from what it is today. May it serve its purpose well and live up to the expectations of some. I hope that as the club is evolving, I will learn from it as well. Let us all hope for a better future. To those who are with me in all of this, let us work together for one goal and let us embrace what is awaiting ahead of us. We are all dreamers, believers and fighters. Let us learn from one another. Together let us experience and appreciate the beauty of nature and everything that life has to offer. Carpe diem!